Hoi An

It was exciting to see our resort in the daylight.  It is beautiful!  It is located beach front on the South China Sea. The pool was looking very inviting this morning so we couldn't wait to get back to the resort this afternoon.

We rode into Hoi An and entered the Old City, which has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site.  We were divided up into groups of six and appointed a local guide that led us through the market.  All I can say is WOW!  What an experience that was!  It definitely awoke all of our senses as we wound our way through the stalls of produce, fresh meat, spices, knickknacks and fish!!!  The animals are killed and butchered early in the morning so the meat is very fresh and free of smell.  Our guide told us that all of the food will be sold by evening.  The Vietnamese do not waste anything!! Every body part is consumed!!

From the market we got on boats and cruised up the Thu Bon River to the Red Bridge Cooking School.  This was another fantastic experience!  First we were walked through the herb garden and given a talk about the fresh herbs and what they are used for.  Then we were seated in the teaching kitchen and treated to some very entertaining cooking demonstrations.  The chef was hilarious!!  He would demonstrate a dish and then we all went to our individual cooking stations and recreated what he showed us.  Then we got to eat what we prepared before moving on to the next recipe.  By the time we finished we were all so stuffed that we were groaning!

We waddled back onto our bus and went back to the Old City for a much needed walking tour.  Our first stop was at the silk factory where they showed us the silk worms 🐛 and demonstrated how the silk is made.  We also saw how silk paintings and lanterns were made.  We had the opportunity to order custom made silk clothing but I don't think anyone went for it.  We were all too full and too hot to feel like being measured for clothing.
Next we walked through an ancient Japanese covered bridge and then visited an ancient house that has Ben owned by six generations of a family.
When we finished our tour we had thirty minutes to do a bit of shopping.  We were all hot and tired so all that we could think about was getting back to the resort and hitting the pool!!  That is exactly what we did and it felt wonderful!!
We had a free evening so most of us took advantage of some down time to get some extra rest!  Some people headed back into Hoi An to see it at night, all lit up with beautiful silk lanterns!! It has been another wonderful day!!